The Ties that Bind Us
by CelticGrace
Summary: A re-write of Family Ties. Not believing in her once nearly cost him everything. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice. AU-ish. Pre-ME1 thru Post-ME3. Rated M: Language, Violence, Dark Themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is a complete rewrite of Family Ties. Some chapters will be noticeably different, others weren't changed much at all. There are also several completely new chapters added.  
Beta: pixelatrix  
Bioware owns the Mass Effect universe and all its characters. If you don't recognize a character, it's probably mine.**

* * *

The summer had started ordinarily enough, but four weeks in and Jason Shepard knew something was _off_. Historically, the relationship between his half-brother Marcus and their niece Katie had been volatile at best. But lately, they'd been spending an inordinate amount of time together. And the times they weren't together, Katie just wasn't acting like herself. Jason was positive neither of them realized he'd noticed.

Just after closing time at the Argo, Jason's beach-side bar, and he was busy cleaning up after a very long raucous night while Marcus sat at the bar, doing inventory. They both looked up as someone unlocked the door; after closing, it was either Katie or Jason's son Ryan, though tonight he was supposed to be at a concert with his girlfriend.

After a moment, the door slid open and Katie walked in. She tensed up the moment she saw Marcus.

"All right, that's it." Jason looked from one to the other. "What the hell is going on between you two?"

Marcus shrugged and went back to the inventory list. "No idea what you're talking about."

Katie stood in the doorway for a moment before she came to an apparent decision. She walked over and took down a picture of her mother and aunt that sat on the memorial shelf behind the bar and shoved it in Marcus' face. "Tell him the truth. Tell him how they _really_ died."

"Is that what all this has been about, why you've been acting so _odd_ since you came down for vacation?" Jason asked, trying to wrench the picture from her hands. "It's been twelve years, Katie. Let it go."

She growled softly and shook her head. "It's been twelve years of _lies_, Uncle Jason. I'm tired of you and Daddy not believing Ryan and me."

"You were three, Ryan was five. You were both traumatized and confused; you don't know _what_ you saw."

"No, she's right, Jason. I've been living a lie all these years," Marcus said, handing the picture back to Katie, who looked startled by the admission.

She wasn't the only one. "What the hell are you talking about?" Jason asked, more confused than ever.

Marcus got up and began pacing as he launched into a narrative. His voice was eerily calm and he spoke as if he'd rehearsed what he was going to say many times but never thought he'd _actually_ say it to anyone. "You and Steven had taken shore leave, said you'd wanted to surprise Ryan and Katie for their birthday. Shannon and Lara had taken the kids to Mom and Dad's house and I was supposed to be on my way to pick you two up at the spaceport."

"_Supposed to_ being the key words," Katie muttered angrily as she walked around the bar and sat down on a stool near the door.

Marcus continued as if she hadn't spoken. "I drove a block or two, turned around and went back to the house. I went in and shot them all. I'd planned to make it look like I'd walked in on Dad killing everyone, but I'd forgotten Brent was coming by to finish the kids' tree house before the party. He walked in as I was about to take the kids out. He tackled me, got the gun away from me and shot me, then took off with the kids. You may recall, he actually told the police the truth, but since he had the kids, the gun and his alibi was that he was alone in Mom and Dad's backyard, they didn't believe him."

Silence descended over the bar as the meaning of Marcus' words sank in for Jason. Finally he spoke, his voice rough with barely controlled rage. "So you let a man go to prison for four murders he didn't commit while you walked around devil-may-care all these years? _And _you let Steven and me believe our children to be liars? _Why_, Marcus?"

"Because he was _jealous_," Katie snapped. Jason had nearly forgotten she was even still there.

Marcus shrugged. "Pretty much. You and Lara were always the favorites, our whole lives. After you were born, and certainly after she was, I was virtually _ignored_. And then when we grew up, you two got the perfect lives with the perfect families, not to mention you and Steven getting goddamn medals in the war. And I was just... an afterthought."

"I... I'm sorry you felt that way, Marcus." Jason frowned. "But seriously, your _solution_ to that was to... kill everyone?"

"I'd wanted to take away everything that made you happy. Wanted you to see what it was like being alone."

"Alone?" Jason frowned. "I'd still have had –" He shook his head. "You are a fucking sick bastard! You were planning to kill the kids too?"

Marcus rolled his eyes. "That's what I meant by _take the kids out_, idiot."

Jason glanced at Katie. "Did you know?"

She nodded. "Why the hell did you think we were always so terrified of staying with him when you and Daddy were on missions, and why we were so relieved when you retired?"

"So would anyone like to tell me how you and Ryan _really_ got the scars on your face and his arm?"

"You really don't want to know," she said softly.

"Tell me anyway," Jason said, keeping a wary eye on Marcus, who had inched closer to Katie.

"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you." She sighed. "We actually did fall into the glass coffee table. But the _reason_... we got into a huge fight and he told me _I_ was the reason Marcus had killed everyone and why he wanted to kill us too."

"He actually said that to you?"

She nodded. "I lunged at him, and we eventually ended up in the middle of the coffee table."

"I'm gonna kill that little fuck," Jason snarled.

She rolled her eyes. "And that's why we never told you. Deep down, like _really_ deep down, I knew he didn't really mean it, and he apologized after a couple of days."

"This has all been _very_ fascinating," Marcus said suddenly. "But it's getting late and some of us," Katie shuddered under the hand he put on her shoulder, "are much too young to be out of bed at this hour."

"Hold on just a goddamn minute," Jason growled. "You're not going _anywhere_, Marcus. I'm calling the police."

"Are you? Are you _really_?" Marcus reached out and yanked Katie from her bar stool by her braid before wrapping his hand around her throat, pulling her body flush with his as he backed up against the wall closest to the door.

"Are you fucking insane? What the hell are you doing?"

"Leaving." Marcus drew the pistol he always kept on him whenever he worked in the bar and aimed it at Jason. "With Katie."

"The hell you are." Jason reached under the bar for his own pistol. "Just let her go and we can work this out rationally."

Marcus scoffed. "Rational? You? Don't make me laugh, Jason. And what do you think you're going to do with that? You don't have a prayer of shooting me without hitting Katie first."

Jason could see this wasn't going to end well for anyone, so he decided to keep Marcus talking as long as possible until he could think of... something. "So what are you going to do, kill me?"

"Yes, actually. No one will believe Katie if she told anyone about what happened here tonight. You and Steven have made sure of that. Doesn't matter though. After I kill you, I'm going to take her with me and keep her as my pet until Steven comes looking for her. Then I'm going to kill him too." Marcus tightened his grip on Katie's throat as he lightly grazed the knuckles of his gun-hand over her breasts and stomach, down to her thigh, causing her to shudder again. As he spoke, his lips brushed the shell of her ear, seemingly purring his taunt at her. "By now, I'm sure she realizes her mistake. So I can do whatever I want to her and I know she'll never say another word to anyone. Wouldn't want anyone else's blood on her hands."

"You sick fuck!" Jason spat out. "What the –" He looked into Katie's eyes and saw the fury that had been blazing there had been replaced by a haunted look, coupled with pain and fear; this was not news to her. "You've already done this to her before, haven't you?"

"Oh so many times," Marcus said in a self-satisfied voice.

"Why didn't you say anything, Katie?" Jason asked.

Her only answer was a whimper as she tried unsuccessfully to pry Marcus' fingers from her throat.

"Who's she going to tell, Jason?" Marcus said with a snide smile as he raised the gun in Jason's direction and applied still more pressure to Katie's throat. "The only one who might believe her is Ryan, and that wouldn't help her any. If you didn't believe either of them back when they were children, why on earth would you believe them now?"

"You're a fucking psycho, you know that?" Jason snarled.

Marcus pulled the trigger. "So I've been told."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the follow :)**

* * *

Admiral Hackett was preparing to leave his quarters for a very early breakfast meeting with his officers when his terminal beeped with an incoming vid-comm hail. He was almost tempted to ignore it, until he saw the ident information: St. Luke's Hospital, Solana Beach.

He quickly hit the button to answer; after a tense few moments, the screen flickered to reveal his seventeen-year-old nephew, looking extremely pale and very worried.

"Ryan? What are you doing at the hospital? Is everything all right?" Hackett mentally slapped himself. _Of course everything isn't all right, Steven; it's barely 0600 and Ryan is at a __hospital__._

"No, not even slightly," Ryan said. "I got home really late from my date with Sarah and found cops at the Argo. They said the silent alarm had been triggered, by the button under the counter, not by someone breaking in. When they got there, they found Dad behind the bar... he'd been shot."

"Christ... is he...?"

Ryan shook his head. "Too soon to tell, is what the doctors said. I called as soon as he came out of surgery. I'm waiting to go see him." He sighed heavily. "That's not all, Uncle Steven."

"There's more?"

"Katie's... missing."

Hackett's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "What do you mean _missing_?"

"I mean she wasn't at the house or the bar before I left for the hospital and she hasn't answered a single one of my vid-chat hails or e-mails." He looked away for a moment before he said, "I think Marcus took her, after he shot Dad."

Hackett pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why would he... what makes you think Katie or Marcus were even there last night?"

"Because he usually helps Dad close on the weekends, especially during the summer when it's crazy busy, and when I'm out, she _always_ goes to the bar after closing."

"Why?"

"Dunno. Just started doing it this summer."

"And those are your only reasons for –"

"The picture of Mom and Aunt Lara, the one that's been on the wall since Dad opened the bar, was smashed on the floor."

"That still doesn't prove Marcus had anything to do with anything."

"Please, Uncle Steven. Just... fine, forget everything else. But when's the last time Katie didn't answer a vid-chat hail?"

"You... may have a point," Hackett finally conceded. "Especially if it was from one of us. And she certainly wouldn't ignore multiple hails."

"Exactly."

"But that only proves that something happened to her, not that Marcus –"

"Who else could it have been? The only people who are ever there after closing are family. Period. If the alarm wasn't triggered by a break-in, it _had_ to have been Marcus." Ryan narrowed his eyes. "Unless you're suggesting Katie –"

"Don't be ridiculous," Hackett snapped. He sighed. "Fine. You just worry about your dad, all right? I'm going to call a friend who's good at tracking people. With any luck, he'll be able to figure out where Katie is."

* * *

_From: Zaeed Massani_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: Found Them_

_Yes, Steven, I said them. They're on the Citadel. It was just a little too bloody easy to find them, so either Marcus is a bigger fucking moron than I'd always taken him for or he's expecting you to come find Katie yourself._

_Attaching the coordinates to his "hideout."_

_Good luck and let me know if you need any more help._

_-ZM_

_PS: Not that you asked for my opinion, but I'm giving it anyway. You are a bloody idiot for not seeing how much of a bastard Marcus has always been. And yes, I'll say the same damn thing to Jason when he's out of the hospital._

* * *

By the time Hackett made it to the Citadel, two days had passed since Ryan's call. And now, he was positive something had happened to Katie. Normally, they chatted at least once a day every day that either of them was away, but she hadn't responded to any of his messages or hails.

It didn't take long before he was standing in front of the apartment in the lower wards that Massani had indicated. A look of genuine surprise passed over Marcus' face when he opened the door, quickly replaced by a sneer.

"Something I can help you with, Steven?"

"Ryan called me a couple of days ago, said Jason had been shot."

"I see. And this has what to do with me?"

Hackett rolled his eyes. "Your lack of caring about your brother is very telling, Marcus. And according to Ryan, it has everything to do with you."

"You've never believed a word Ryan has ever said about me. Why start now?"

"Katie. You know damn well that she was there for her summer visit, had been since the beginning of May. I haven't heard from her since the day before Ryan called me."

Marcus scoffed. "So? She's a fifteen-year-old girl. She's probably been busy with her friends. She –"

"She calls me every single day when she's staying with Jason, without fail," Hackett said as he pushed his way past Marcus into the apartment. "The fact that she hasn't called me in two days means something is very wrong. And now that I think of it, the very fact that _she_ wasn't the one who called me about Jason tells me she's in trouble." The Admiral regarded his former brother-in-law suspiciously. "Where'd you get those bruises, Marcus?"

The man's answer of "bar fight... last night... two turians" came just a little too readily for Hackett's liking.

"Where's my daughter, Marcus?" he growled.

"I don't know where the bitch is," Marcus said. "And if I did, I don't know why I would tell you."

Hackett chose to ignore, for the moment, the _bitch_ comment. "So if I sent her a hail right now, I wouldn't hear her omni-tool beeping?"

Marcus looked around for a moment before answering. "Nope."

"That's as good as a goddamn confession in blood," Hackett said as he raised his arm to bring up his omni-tool.

"That's far enough, Steven," Marcus snarled, reaching for the gun in the belt of his pants.

Before Marcus could do more than raise the weapon, Hackett's other hand came up with his own pistol. He fired a shot straight at Marcus' chest.

As Marcus crashed to the floor, Hackett holstered his gun, stepping around the body and into the hallway. He checked each room of the apartment, calling out to his daughter but heard no response.

He opened the last door and his heart stopped.

His beloved Katie, covered in cuts and bruises from head to foot, was gagged and shackled at her wrists and ankles to the metal headboard of the small bed on the other side of the room. As he walked towards her, she shrank back, cowering into the very corner of the mattress, trying to get as far away from him… Hackett shook his head in thought. He wasn't the one she was afraid of, not really, though he definitely wasn't her favorite person by a long shot. No, she was still trying to get away from Marcus. It looked as if the bastard had beat the hell out of her and done only God knew what else to her. However, Hackett knew Marcus' bruises hadn't come from any bar fight with turians. That would have landed him in the hospital or the morgue. They'd been from Katie, fighting back... at least at first.

Hackett knelt beside the bed, looking at her with concern as he said, "Sweetheart, I'm not going to hurt you." She stared at him for a moment, as if she was wondering if she could trust him, before slowly nodding. He took this as consent and sat on the edge of the bed; he gently tugged the gag out of her mouth and set about hacking the locks on the shackles.

As soon as her hands were free, she hauled back and punched him square in the jaw. Her fear of Marcus had obviously ebbed away, leaving only the anger he knew she had been holding onto for the last twelve years.

Though the hit was hard (no one had ever claimed Katie _hit like a girl_, and come away unscathed), Hackett didn't flinch. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her onto his lap as she collapsed against him and dissolved into tears, her anger finally giving way to sheer exhaustion.

"I more than deserved that," he said quietly. "I know I will never be able to make up for everything I've done wrong all these years, Katie, but I am sorry I ever doubted you about Marcus, and for all the hell he put you through because of that."

Katie whispered something against his chest that sounded suspiciously like "it's my fault."

Hackett pulled back and gently lifted her face with one hand so that he was looking into her eyes, the same clear ice blue as his own. "You can't tell me you blame yourself for this."

She nodded. "I-I provoked him. I just wanted him tell someone the truth, finally. And he did. He told Uncle Jason. A-and now he's dead because of me," she sobbed.

"He's not dead," he said soothingly. "I've been talking to Ryan every couple of hours the last couple of days since he called to tell me what happened. Jason will be in the hospital for awhile, but he's going to be fine. He hasn't been able to talk yet though, so we didn't know exactly what happened beyond him getting shot. But Ryan was completely convinced it was because of Marcus. He's a large part of the reason I found you."

Katie threw her arms around Hackett's neck and hugged him. "Daddy, I'm sorry," she said tearfully as she laid her head on his shoulder. They stayed that way for several minutes, Hackett gently stroking her hair as she cried.

Finally, she took a deep shuddering breath and started telling him everything that had taken place at the Argo two days earlier.

"As soon as Uncle Jason was down, Marcus dragged me back to his place," she said when she was done, her voice trembling slightly. "We came here a couple of hours later."

Hackett didn't say anything for a few minutes. On the outside, he was maintaining control of his emotions, for Katie's benefit, but inside, he was shaking with fury at the thought of what his little girl had been put through.

He swept a lock of her dark red hair from her face and gently kissed her forehead. "I'm just glad you're alive, sweetheart. And that I finally found you."

"Well at least next time, there won't _be_ anyone left to find her," said a weak but cold voice, startling both of them. They looked around to see Marcus leaning against the doorway, one hand clutching his pistol, the other pressed against the wound where Hackett's bullet had struck, higher than he'd intended. "I'm going to go back to California to finish off my brother and his meddling son and then I'll be able to keep Katie as my plaything forever."

Hackett got up, pushing Katie behind him as he drew his gun. "No, Marcus. You're never laying a hand on my daughter ever again," he growled. "This ends here and now."

Marcus shrugged. "Whatever. Your funeral, Steven."

Two shots rang out followed moments later by a third.


	3. Chapter 3

Jeff Moreau slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times, trying to get his bearings. After a few moments, he remembered where he was and why: in the med-bay for emergency surgery because he'd broken his leg. Again.

_Fucking brittle bones. This is going to be a long, very boring summer._

He slowly turned his head to the left, looking around the med-bay and was very surprised to see his best friend occupying the bed next to his. Last he'd heard, Katie had been on Earth, visiting her cousin and uncle.

Beneath the dark red curls that spilled across her pillow, a myriad of bruises in various stages of healing joined the childhood scars that crossed her freckled complexion.

Jeff looked across the bed to see Admiral Hackett sitting beside it, holding Katie's left hand in both of his. He remembered his father saying the Admiral had left the ship more than a week ago, though no one had known why. But whatever had happened to Katie, clearly he hadn't left her side in several days. He looked beyond exhausted, the bags under his eyes and graying stubble on his chin aging him considerably.

Jeff groaned and slowly sat up in his bed.

Hackett looked up and gave him a tight smile. "Afternoon, Jeff. Glad to see one of you is finally awake. Are you in any pain?"

Jeff shook his head. "No, sir. Not really. Not yet anyway."

"Your father is coming back in a couple of hours. I told him since I was here for the foreseeable future, you weren't going to be alone when you woke up so he should get some rest."

"Thank you, sir. Can I ask, what happened to Katie? Was she here when I came in for surgery?"

Hackett shook his head. "We've only just got back a couple of hours ago, while you were _in_ surgery. Came in on a medical transport from the Citadel. As for what happened, Marcus finally got his revenge."

"You mean he finally tried to make good on his promise to kill her and Ryan?"

"Oh, knew about that, did you?" Hackett sighed. "Don't know why I should be surprised. Doubt you two have had any secrets since the day you met. But no, it wasn't that. Honestly, I think somehow that may have made this easier if that were the case. He nearly made good on his apparent promise to kill Jason and myself, actually. Jason is in Solana Beach, recovering from a shot that came damn close to his heart. Katie on the other hand," he swallowed hard and sighed. "Katie took two bullets that were meant for me. One in the chest and one in the abdomen."

"Damn," Jeff muttered.

"Marcus went down a moment after that with a bullet between the eyes," Hackett said darkly.

"Good. Does this mean, sir, that you and Jason finally know, and more importantly _believe_, the whole truth?"

Hackett nodded. "Jason got it from the horse's mouth, so to speak. That's what started the whole thing. Katie tricked Marcus into telling Jason the truth. Then Marcus decided Jason had to die, so he shot him, kidnapped Katie and…" another sigh was pulled from the Admiral's lips as a haunted look passed over his face. It was gone as quickly as it had come. "I found her a week ago, tied up in an apartment Marcus had rented on the Citadel. She recounted to me the events that led up to that moment. He came back in just after that; I'd shot him and thought he was dead," he said bitterly. "As he fired at me, Katie pushed me out of the way."

"I'm... not surprised," Jeff said quietly. "She may have been carrying a lot of hurt and anger with her all these years, sir. But through that, she's always loved you."

Hackett nodded. "I know."

"Steven!" a sharp voice barked from the end of the med-bay. Hackett and Jeff looked up to see Dr. River, the ship's chief medical officer, hurrying from her office, looking furious. "Why didn't you tell me one of my patients was awake?"

"Sorry, Melody. We… had to talk," Hackett said defensively. Jeff nodded in agreement. "I assure you, I would have called you if something was wrong."

The doctor rolled her eyes. "Did you go to medical school, Steven? No, as I recall you went into officers training. So you'll excuse me if I don't trust your judgment calls on _my_ patients." Jeff tried unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter at this statement and she glared at him before turning back to the Admiral. "You need sleep," she added in a kinder tone. "Proper sleep in your bed, not sitting beside Kathrine's."

"I can't leave her, Melody, not until I know for sure she'll be all right."

"Steven, you won't be doing her any favors if you go down when she needs you most."

Hackett tried again. "But –"

"I can sit with her, sir," Jeff offered. "With your permission, of course," he added hastily as he looked hopefully at Dr. River.

She nodded. "That's fine with me. I certainly don't want her waking up alone, and you're stuck in here for the long haul as it is. Might as well do something useful."

Hackett sighed. "Fine. And thank you, Jeff. Still, you should know I'm doing this under protest, Melody."

Dr. River chuckled lightly. "I'd wonder who the hell had replaced you if you weren't, Steven," she teased. "But that's the beauty of being a ship's doctor; I can order even you around, when necessary. Now get out of here. I don't want to see you back here for at least twelve hours." Hackett looked as if he was going to say something again and the doctor added, "Unless Kathrine wakes up."

Hackett leaned down and kissed Katie's forehead before he nodded curtly at Dr. River and Jeff and left the med-bay.

Jeff looked sadly at his life-long best friend as Dr. River began examining him. "How long has she been like that?" he asked quietly.

The doctor sighed heavily. "She's been out for close to six days now. She slipped into the coma shortly after she came out of surgery."

"Will she be okay?" he asked in alarm.

"Oh, yes," she said confidently. "It's only a matter of time before she wakes up again. The doctors on the Citadel wouldn't have allowed her to be moved if there had been any indication she were in danger. Her body has been through so much trauma, and in such a short period of time, it just needed the uninterrupted rest. I'm kind of hoping she stays unconscious for at least another six to eight hours, so the Admiral will get some sleep."

"I guess he told you what happened?"

She nodded. "Yes. Brave thing she did. Don't know many fifteen-year-olds who would take a bullet for _anyone_, much less for the father they've had a strained relationship with their whole life. Then again, I've honestly never met anyone quite like Kathrine Hackett." She cleared her throat. "All right, your scans check out, so you can sit with her."

Jeff nodded. "Thanks, Doc."

She helped him get out of bed and walk to the chair between the two beds. He took Katie's hand and gently squeezed it as he settled in for a long vigil.

* * *

_Nine hours later…_

Katie shuddered as she finally woke; when the fog of sleep lifted, she realized in a panic that she didn't know where she was, but it was obvious she wasn't in Marcus' apartment anymore. She felt a hand holding hers and looked down to see Jeff asleep with his head on her hand, her fingers entwined with his. She squeezed his hand and he raised his head after a moment.

"Hey cutie," he said with a small smile.

"Jeff? Where am I?" she asked hoarsely.

He looked at her with concern. "You're home, Katie."

"I can't… I can't remember…" Her eyes filled with tears. "Where's my dad? Is he okay?"

Jeff reached out and tucked a curl behind her ear. "Shh," he whispered soothingly. "Your dad's fine. The doc made him leave to get some sleep."

She frowned. "Why are _you_ here?"

He shrugged. "Same old, same old. Another day, another accidental broken bone. Look, I swore to both your dad and Dr. River that I'd let them know when you woke up," he said as he typed a message into his omni-tool. He kissed her cheek and very slowly got up. She reached out and grabbed his wrist, her eyes wide with panic. He gently pried her fingers from his wrist, kissed her hand and said, "I'll be right back, Katie. I promise. I'm not leaving, just going to get the doc."

He grabbed his crutches and slowly limped to the end of the med-bay and knocked on the door. A second later, Dr. River came out and they slowly walked back to Katie's bed together, talking in low voices. Katie guessed Jeff was telling the doctor about their conversation and how long she'd been awake.

Dr. River smiled as she came over to the side of the bed. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you awake, Kathrine. How do you feel?"

"Groggy and hella sore," Katie said, taking Jeff's hand as he resumed his seat on the other side of her bed. "Memory's a lot foggy too."

"That's perfectly normal," the doctor said reassuringly as she began doing scans. "You've been unconscious for close to a week. I wouldn't expect you to be completely clear-thinking the moment you woke up."

Katie was dubious but nodded.

Dr. River looked across at Jeff. "You sent a message to the Admiral?"

"Yeah. But since he's supposed to be asleep, I dunnno –"

"I'm right here," Hackett said from the doorway. He looked at Katie and smiled. "Hi, sweetheart. How are you?"

"Okay, I guess," she said. Then she frowned. "Daddy, what happened to Marcus?"

"He's really dead this time," Hackett said darkly as he sat next to her bed. "I promise."

"Thank God."

Dr. River cleared her throat. "Did you sleep, Steven?" she asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You certainly don't look like a man who has just woken up. Though I will admit you do look more rested than you did before."

"I think I slept for about seven hours," Hackett said. "But, I've been talking to Jason for the last hour."

Katie looked at her father. "Is he okay?"

Hackett smiled. "Yes, sweetheart, he's fine. He's out of the hospital, resting at home, and his doctor said he'll be able to travel soon. He and Ryan will meet us when we dock at Arcturus in a week."

"And what about me?" Katie asked, looking at Dr. River.

"If you stay out of trouble, you and Jeff will both be able to leave by the time we get to Arcturus."

Hackett chuckled. "Melody, remember who you're talking to. These two will be causing trouble within the hour."


	4. Chapter 4

_The peace treaty with the turians had been signed and the war was officially over.__ Everyone was on their way home._

_Suddenly, the shuttle was on the ground and the __soldiers__ were at the gate. Floods of __men and women__ being greeted by their loved ones. Steven was standing with Jason, scanning the crowds for any sign of a familiar face, when __he saw __a __tiny turquoise-and-white polka dot dress with dark red pigtails hurtling towards them; __he caught it just as it __squealed and launch__ed itself at his chest. __Parting __the mass of __curls __the pigtails had become, Steven__ found himself looking at __a grinning __Katie._

_"Daddy!" __She squealed again__. "I miss__'__d you."_

_He __smiled and kissed the top of her head__. "I missed you too, sweetheart." He __glanced__ over and saw Jason ha__ving__ a similar reunion with __a camo sweatshirt and mop of brown hair that was __Ryan. __Looking__ past Katie, __he __saw his father-in-law Ben standing to the side, smirking. Steven shook his head with a laugh as he switched kids with Jason, saying hello to his nephew._

_"Lieutenants." Ben s__napped __a salute as the two soldiers, each with their own child atop their shoulders, walked up to him._

_"Hey, Dad,__"__ Jason said as he returned the salute, Steven doing the same. "Um... not that we're not glad to see __you__ but __–"_

_"Where are our wives?" Steven finished with a smirk._

_Ben chuckled. "The ladies are at home planning your welcome home party. The three of us got kicked out.__"_

_Jason raised an eyebrow. "Dare we ask why?"_

_"Don't __look at__ me. Ask your children."_

_"Me__e__maw kicked __her__ out for being dis... disr... loud," Ryan said, glaring at Katie._

_"__He__ was being loud too!" she protested. Loudly._

_Steven and Jason rolled their eyes. "And you, Dad?" Jason asked as they __followed him__ to the skycar lot. "What'd you do to get kicked out?"_

_Ben shrugged. "I believe the words 'too many cooks' and 'always underfoot' may have been used."_

* * *

Hackett was suddenly awakened by an incessant drumming noise. He looked up and was startled to see Dr. River standing on the other side of his desk, her arms folded and tapping her foot impatiently.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

She frowned. "You have an odd look on your face, Steven. Are you alright?"

"I'm... fine. Just a dream, a memory actually. The day we came back from the war. One of the last good days we all had as a whole family." He sighed. "It's not the first time I've had that one in the last week and a half."

"I can imagine."

He scrubbed a hand across his face and sat up more fully at his desk. "So... what, um... why are you here, Melody?"

"Oh. Right. They're gone," the doctor said. "Kathrine and Jeff. Just... left the med-bay."

The Admiral bit the inside of his cheek, trying to keep a straight face. "I tried to warn you, Melody. They've been getting into copious amounts of trouble since the day they met on their first day of kindergarten. It's also not the first time they've broken out of a medical facility. Hospitals make Katie _itch_, she says; the few times she's had to be in one, she's gotten out before she was supposed to. Though she also does tend to break _in_ to see Jeff when he's had to be alone."

She glared at him.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I have patients to take care of. I can't go off and find them."

"They _are_ your patients, Melody. And, you're not the only medical officer on this ship."

"I believe they may have been the ones to help Kathrine and Jeff escape in the first place. He wouldn't be getting far quickly on his own, and she's not going to be much help with as much pain medication as she's on."

Hackett rolled his eyes. "You can't use the ship's VI to find them?" He shook his head. He knew what was coming as soon as he said the words.

"Kathrine left a note saying that she'd disabled their locators."

"Of course she did." He sighed again. "Fine. I'll go. Not like I need _sleep_ or anything," he grumbled as he stood up and walked past her.

Twenty minutes later, he stood in the doorway of his own quarters. He'd found Katie and Jeff, but whatever trouble Dr. River thought they'd be in, they weren't in it. Instead, Jeff was sitting in the overstuffed loveseat, his leg propped up on an ottoman; he had his arms wrapped carefully around Katie as she curled up against him. To the untrained eye, they'd fallen asleep watching a vid, but Hackett quickly spotted the chips and cards hastily shoved in between the cushions. Obviously, they'd been playing poker before he walked in.

He shook his head and chuckled to himself as he stepped back out into the hallway to call Dr. River.

"I found them."

"Where? Where the bloody hell are they?" the irate doctor screeched.

"Relax, Melody. They're fine."

"Fine? What did I say about making judgment calls on my patients?"

"You're the one who didn't want to take the time to come find them," he said pointedly.

Dr. River growled. "Where are they, Admiral?"

"They're safe and surprisingly not actually getting into any trouble. They're... asleep." He knew there would be hell to pay if she found out what they'd _actually_ been doing, innocent as it was, and they were going to be in enough trouble for breaking out of the med-bay.

She huffed. "That doesn't answer my question."

"If you're so damn interested in where they are, ask the VI where _I_ am right now," Hackett snapped. "But you'd better do it quickly, because I'm going back to my office. I have to go yell at my yeoman for letting you in in the first place."

* * *

Katie cracked one eye open and lifted her head slightly. "All right, coast is clear," she whispered as the Admiral's footsteps retreated away from the door.

"Was it your dad?" Jeff asked, shifting a bit to sit up more fully in the loveseat.

She nodded. "Yeah, and he was alone." She carefully slid to the floor to retrieve a few chips that had fallen under the ottoman. "You know if the doc had been with him, she'd be dragging us back to the med-bay by our ears right now."

"True." He began reshuffling the cards. "Ya know, sometimes she's nice, like the other day when she let me sit with you before you woke up; other times, I'm surprised we're even allowed to _look_ at each other."

She giggled as she got up and settled back in the seat, sitting cross-legged beside him. "After this, we _won't_. She'll confiscate our omni-tools and everything. Totally worth it for an hour of peace though."

He nodded. "Definitely. All right, where were we? My deal or yours?"


	5. Chapter 5

Ryan stood in the docking bay, watching as everyone left the ship and made their way onto various parts of the station. When the crowds finally thinned down to next to nothing, he saw his uncle making his way towards him. Alone.

"Aren't you forgetting someone, Uncle Steven?" he asked as they shook hands.

Hackett chuckled. "I could ask you the same thing, Ryan. Where's your father?"

"One of his old marine buddies from back in the day just got stationed here. He's giving him a tour, though I didn't think it had been _that_ long since we'd been here." Ryan crossed his arms over his chest. "So. Where's Katie?"

"Getting a lecture from Dr. River. The Trouble Twins broke out of the med-bay a couple of days ago and she's been fuming ever since." He turned around and started walking back toward the docking tube.

"So you just left them in there with her?" Ryan asked as he ran to catch up.

Hackett shrugged. "I got a lecture of my own when I tried to tell her it was time to leave."

Ryan snorted with laughter. "Why?"

"She may have found out I lied about what they –" Hackett's words were cut off as they, quite literally, ran into Jeff and Katie on their way off of the ship.

As the Admiral carefully steadied Jeff and his crutches, Ryan kept Katie from falling by pulling her into a bear hug.

Ryan watched as his uncle and Jeff slowly walked on to the station and then he pulled Katie into a tighter hug.

"Thank you," she whispered after they'd stood in silence for awhile.

"For what?"

"For... whatever it was that you said to Daddy that convinced him to check Marcus' apartment. He said you were the reason he found me."

Ryan sighed. "That was –"

Someone cleared their throat. The cousins looked over to see Hackett had returned and had found Jason who was standing by, waiting to talk to Katie.

"Not yet, Dad," Ryan growled. He didn't really know why, but he suddenly felt fiercely protective of Katie. He'd spent the last two weeks worrying about both her and his father, wondering if he was going to lose them both. But now, the anger he'd held onto for the last twelve years decided to surface.

"Ryan? What's wrong?" Jason asked.

"What's _wrong_, Dad? Really?" Ryan asked. "You're joking, right?"

Hackett and Jason looked at each other. Katie said nothing.

"Because of Marcus, may he rot in hell, the four of us are all that is left of our entire family," Ryan said quietly. "But because of _you two__ –"_

"Ryan, stop," Katie said. "Yes, Marcus is to blame for everything that happened twelve years ago. But everything that happened at the bar..."

"Started because they didn't believe us and Brent," Ryan insisted. "Katie, that wasn't your fault. None of it."

"We were kids," she said quietly. "And they had no reason _not_ to believe Marcus."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Sure, shoot four people execution style in the back of the head and hit the fifth in the fucking shoulder. That makes so much sense."

"I... can't... I can't do this, Ryan," Katie said as she ducked out of his embrace. The others watched as she ran down into the docking bay and disappeared into the crowds on the station.

* * *

Jeff's omni-tool beeped. He muttered curses under his breath as he read the message:

_I'm stuck in a tree._

That was Katie Speak for "Help me!" He knew it must have been a family argument. That was the only time she ever used that out.

* * *

_Text Chat_

_From: Jeff Moreau_

_To: Katie Hackett_

_13:50 JM: Where are you?_

_14:00 JM: Kat? You there?_

_14:01 KH: I'm wandering around. _

_14:01 KH: Trying to think of a place they won't automatically think to look._

_14:02 JM: What happened?_

_14:10 KH: I'm at Kirby Dalton Park, by your place._

_14:11 JM: On my way._

_14:12 User Disconnected._

* * *

He found her sitting up against the maple tree in the center of the park. Her head was resting on her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs. He eased down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked after they'd sat in silence for awhile.

"Apparently, Ryan is... well, you know he's always been kinda angry, ever since... I can remember. Since... that day," she said, talking to her knees. "But today, he started yelling at my dad and Uncle Jason and... then we started yelling at each other and... I couldn't take it anymore so I just... left. The last time Ryan and I got into a fight was when I was four, the whole coffee table incident. I guess we were long overdue for another one."

"Yelling about what?" Jeff asked.

"Ryan was trying to say that what happened two weeks ago was ultimately Daddy and Uncle Jason's fault. That if they'd just believed us twelve years ago, none of this would have happened."

"And?"

She sighed. "And I said it just wasn't reasonable that they were going to believe two kids –"

"Their _own_ kids," Jeff said.

"Whatever. The fact remains that we were just kids."

"So if that's your line of thinking now, what the hell prompted you to confront Marcus at the bar?"

"I... don't know."

"I do."

Jeff and Katie looked up to see Ryan standing beside the tree.

She glared at her cousin. "Did Daddy tell you I was here?"

Ryan grinned. "Maybe."

"So much for 'someplace they won't automatically look,' genius," Jeff said with a smirk. He kissed her on the cheek and then looked up at Ryan. "Give me a hand will you? I'll give you two some time."

Ryan carefully hauled Jeff to his feet and then sat next to Katie as Jeff started back towards his apartment.

"So, you were saying?" she said as she leaned her head on her cousin's shoulder.

"Back then, we both thought the fact that we were their kids meant they should just automatically believe us, whether the cops did or not. Plus, we were telling them the exact same thing Brent was telling them, so that should do it. I guess we believed in _majority rules_."

"You'd think we would have gotten smarter as we got older and realized that's not the way the world works."

"Reasonable people would have done that, yes. But we've been so blinded by anger for the last twelve years, we couldn't see past that. We couldn't see that it just wasn't reasonable for our dads or the cops to believe kids, _or_ the guy who'd 'kidnapped' us and had the murder weapon, over the adult 'witness.'"

"Yeah, I guess. So, are they mad?"

"At you, of course not. At me, very."

Katie grinned. "Sorry."

Ryan stood up again. "Are you done running? They may not be mad at you but they are worried about you."

She rolled her eyes as he hauled her to her feet. "Surprised they sent you then. They weren't worried there'd be another _coffee table incident_?"

He chuckled. "I think they trust we've matured beyond that, if only just. Thank you _so_ much for mentioning the reason behind that, by the way," he added sarcastically. "My dad has been yelling at me about that since yours called to say you'd finally woken up."

"Yeah, I didn't really mean to..." she sighed. "I was on a roll and once I started talking about all the crap that happened back then, I couldn't stop. Basically, it was like a reflex; he asked the question, so I answered it."

Ryan wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked towards the Hacketts' apartment. "It's okay. It would have come out eventually, I'm sure. Now walk faster. My dad's exceptionally pissed at me since he hasn't even gotten to say 'boo' to you yet."

When Katie and Ryan got back to her apartment, they found their fathers pacing anxiously.

"It's all right. Look. Nobody's got glass shards embedded anywhere," Ryan said as he held out his arms and Katie turned her head to both sides to show neither of them had any new injuries.

Hackett and Jason both rolled their eyes. Then Ryan gave Katie a little nudge in Jason's direction, since her feet seemed be glued to the ground, before he and Hackett made a quick exit.

Jason looked at Katie, who looked away. He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. She immediately burst into tears.

"I thought you were dead," she said after awhile. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't provoked Marcus –"

"If you hadn't provoked him, then he'd still be... how long, Katie?" When she didn't answer, he put a finger under her chin to raise her head up so she was looking at him. "How long had it been going on?"

She tried to look away but couldn't. "F-four weeks," she whispered. "It started a couple of days into my summer visit."

"The whole goddamn time? Christ," he muttered. "I knew you two were spending an unusual amount of time together but..." He pulled her back in and tightened his arms around her for a moment. "That son of a – bastard deserved so much more than a simple shot between the eyes. He needed a goddamn beating."

"I..." She didn't really know how to respond to that. However she had caught his _creative_ wording. She pulled back and canted her head as she looked up at him with a smirk. "I'm sorry, did you almost call your mother a _bitch_?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: thanks for the follow :)**

* * *

Admiral Hackett shot up in bed when he heard a piercing scream, followed by a loud crash and the sounds of a struggle. He ran into Katie's bedroom and found her on the floor, fighting to get out of her sheets and blanket. He knelt on the floor beside her and helped her get disentangled, dodging her still-flailing arms as he tried to calm her down.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" he asked gently as she finally stopped fighting and he pulled her into his arms.

"Dr. River told me I should start trying to wean myself off the pain meds," she said quietly. "But apparently that's the only thing that's stopping the nightmares."

"Nightmares about Marcus?" he asked carefully.

She nodded. She suddenly stood up and started pacing.

He sat on the edge of her bed and watched her for a few minutes. Finally, curiosity got the best of him. "Katie, what are you doing?"

She stopped so suddenly, he had the feeling that she'd forgotten he was even there. "Remember when..." She sighed. "Of course you do... stupid question... when I told you what happened at the bar..." She trailed off again and didn't say anything for several minutes.

"Sweetheart, whatever it is you're trying to tell me, if you don't want to say it, it's okay."

She shook her head. "Four weeks, Daddy. It wasn't just... just the two days on the Citadel. It was..." She sank to the floor, her back against the wall. "T-the entire four weeks I was staying at Uncle Jason's."

Hackett frowned. "_What_ was four..." He suddenly realized exactly what she meant. "Jesus Christ," he muttered. He got up and stalked out of the room. "I'm gonna kill him... both of them."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Katie scramble up from the floor and she grabbed his arm. "Daddy, it wasn't their fault," she said, her eyes brimming with tears.

He shook his head as he turned to wrap his arms around her. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but you're going to have to explain that to me. Because I'm having a very hard time figuring out how this could have happened for four goddamn weeks without one or both of them noticing something was going on."

"Uncle Jason did. He didn't know what was going on 'til that night at the bar, but he said he knew something was weird."

"And yet he did nothing."

"Do about _what_? The only thing he noticed was that we had been spending more time together than usual."

Hackett thought of something else. "Shouldn't they have noticed if you had bruises or..." He sighed. He didn't really want to think about what Marcus had actually done to her.

She shook her head. "For one, he didn't really... he didn't beat me until the two days on the Citadel. But any bruises I _had_, I easily covered with makeup; scratches were written off as how much I suck at rollerblading."

He pulled back to look at her and raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "What? Have you ever seen me trying to skate? It's not pretty." She sighed. "I don't know what to do, Daddy."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't keep taking pain pills, and I can't just replace them with sleeping pills. And, though God knows I've tried, I can't just stop sleeping altogether."

"Did you sleep _at all_ while you were at Jason's?"

"Yes," she said quickly and walked past him into the living room where she curled up at one end of the couch.

Hackett frowned as he followed her. Something was off. He sat down on the coffee table and leaned his elbows on his knees. "How were you getting to sleep?"

She neither looked at him nor answered his question.

"Katie? I'm not angry with you sweetheart."

She sighed. "I know, Daddy. I'm kinda angry with myself, actually. I'm just... I've dug myself into a hole that I can't get out of."

"What do you mean?"

"I have to stop taking the pain meds eventually. I know that. But... the way I was getting to sleep at Uncle Jason's wasn't any better."

"Which was?" he prompted gently.

"Whiskey."

He put his head in his hands. "I'm really going to kill him," he growled. "I swear to God."

"And this is why I didn't want to tell you."

He looked up at her again. "Please, please don't try and tell me that Jason didn't notice his whiskey had started going missing."

She shook her head. "If it had been from the bar, he probably wouldn't have, since Marcus did inventory; but since I was using the bottles in Uncle Jason's apartment, I'm sure he noticed. He _probably_ assumed it was Ryan who was drinking it."

"And the Parent of the Year Award goes to Jason Shepard," Hackett said, rolling his eyes. "You're not going back next summer."

"Daddy! That's not fair. It wasn't Uncle Jason's fault."

"He didn't even notice you were drunk, Katie."

"I _wasn't_," she protested. "I only drank a couple of shots every night before I went to bed. By the time I got up, the effects had worn off." She sighed and stretched out on the couch. "Can we talk about this later, Daddy? I'm really tired."

"I know, sweetheart. Do you think you'll be able to sleep without the pain medication tonight or do you want to take it?"

She looked up at him with what looked like mock surprise. "You are actually encouraging me to defy doctor's orders?"

"Orders from Dr. River? Most definitely." He chuckled. "You said she told you to _start_ weaning off the medication. Well, you tried. It didn't work. Yet." He went into the kitchen to get her pills and a glass of water. He handed them to her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "You'll try again tomorrow."

"And if it doesn't work then?"

Hackett smiled as he sat in the recliner beside the couch. "Patience. You'll get there eventually. But no more whiskey."


	7. Chapter 7

Though he hated the circumstances surrounding it, Hackett was quite thankful that the first summer Katie and Jeff had ever spent together, they were supposed to _take it easy_. He wasn't sure he or the Moreaus could handle the amount of trouble they would have gotten into if they'd been completely healthy, considering what they managed to accomplish on the average weekend during the school year.

Since the order came from their regular doctors on Arcturus and not Dr. River, who they seemed to have some sort of vendetta against, they begrudgingly agreed to behave. The pair spent most of the summer hunkered down in the middle of the Moreau's living room, watching marathons of military TV and movie vids.

When school finally started, not a whole lot changed except that Jeff reported Katie was more skittish around everyone. But they finally settled back into a routine and everything was fine after a couple of weeks.

As the holidays rolled around, the Hacketts and the Moreaus spent a pleasant Thanksgiving together. Jason and Ryan came back to the station for Christmas; things got tense when Hackett told Jason he should have done _something_ to protect Katie if he suspected there was something wrong. She took refuge with the Moreaus, jokingly asking Jeff's parents if they would adopt her. Jeff nearly cracked a rib and his father choked on his eggnog from laughing when his mother actually said yes.

The second semester of Katie and Jeff's sophomore year went along much the same as the first. One Friday afternoon in April, Katie stayed after school to get help with math. She'd tried to get Jeff to stay, reminding him exams were coming up soon (he knew then she was mostly back to her old self if she was nagging him about exams) but he begged off, saying he'd be waiting when she was done. There was something he had to do while she was distracted.

He wasn't actually going anywhere, but he needed to have a chat with her father. Tomorrow was Katie's birthday and he intended to try to take her mind off of it. He'd had to have a lengthy discussion with his mother after she tried to plan a party, explaining that, especially after what had happened the year before, a party was the absolute last thing Katie needed.

* * *

_Text Chat_

_From: Jeff Moreau_

_To: __Steven__ Hackett_

_15:52 J__M__: Sorry to bother you, sir, but I need to talk to you about Katie._

_15:54 __S__H: Is she alright?_

_15:55 J__M__: Yes, sir. She's doing some tutorial thing for math. Tried, and failed, to get me to take it. _

_15:55 __S__H: Well, I'm sure your parents won't hold it against her if you fail your math exam._

_15:56 J__M__: We'll see. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow._

_15:57 __S__H: You know she doesn't celebrate her birthday, Jeff._

_15:58 J__M__: Yes, sir, I know that. I also know that she gets really depressed every year on her birthday. Given how this last year has gone, I'm guessing that might be especially true tomorrow. _

_15:59 __S__H: And you want to do something to take her mind off of it._

_16:00 J__M__: Yes, sir._

_16:02 __S__H: What did you have in mind?_

_16:04 J__M__: I don't have all the details worked out yet, sir. I just wanted to see if it was __okay__ with you if she was out most of the day._

_16:05 __S__H: Aside from it being her birthday, it won't be any different than any other day, Jeff. You two are out all day __every__ day._

_16:06 J__M__: Point taken, sir. _

_16:07 __S__H: This is good actually. I unfortunately have a meeting for most of the day. Glad to know she won't be alone. Not that I expected her to be._

_16:08 J__M__: Thank you, sir._

_16:10 J__M__: Apparently she's done. I can feel her glaring at me. _

_16:11 __S__H: Good luck._

_16:12 User Disconnected. _

* * *

Katie woke Saturday morning with a plan. She was going to stop being so depressed and maybe actually enjoy her birthday for once. That was the best revenge, right?

She decided to call Ryan to tell him about her new plan. As she picked up her omni-tool to hail him, it beeped with a vid-chat request from him.

"Hey kid," he said when she answered. "Did I wake you?"

She shook her head. "No I was... _kid_? Really? The second you turn 18, suddenly I'm a kid?" she asked with mock indignation.

He grinned. "Excellent. Something new to add to my list of Things That Make Katie Mad."

She rolled her eyes. "I can see you're going to be a _very_ mature adult."

"So how ya doin'?"

"Pretty good. I decided something this morning actually."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Care to share with the rest of the class?"

"That's why I was calling."

"Um... I called _you_, Katie."

"I was _trying_ to call you but you beat me to it. _Anyway_, I've decided that I'm not going to be depressed about today anymore. I'll remember everybody, like I do every year, but I'm not going to sit around and mope like I usually do."

Ryan nodded. "Good. Me too."

"Great minds and all?" Katie said with a smirk.

He grinned. "Something like that."

"You realize this may give our dads heart attacks that we've actually matured."

"Speak for yourself," he said with a wink.

She rolled her eyes. "All right, _one_ of us has matured."

There was another beep on her omni-tool, a message from Jeff:

_The tree. One hour._

She looked back at her vid-chat. "Crap. Ryan, sorry, I gotta go."

"Jeff?" he asked with a knowing smirk.

She rolled her eyes again. "Bite me."

He laughed. "Have fun, kid. And happy birthday."

Katie grinned. "Happy birthday, Ryan."

Twenty minutes later, she was working through her second Boston cream doughnut when her father came into the kitchen carrying a box.

She smiled. "Hi Daddy."

"'Morning, sweetheart," he said. "You're in an awfully good mood."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Not that that's a bad thing. What's going on?"

"I decided I'm gonna have a happy day today, that's all," she said.

He smiled. "Glad to hear it."

"What's in the box, Daddy?"

He handed it to her. "It's a present from your mother."

She blinked and looked up at him. "How's that now?"

He laughed. "Just open it."

She lifted the lid and stared at the silver shamrock pendant necklace lying on top of a handwritten note. She took out the note and her eyes filled with tears as she read her mother's words:

Kathrine Anne,

This necklace was given to me by my mother on my sixteenth birthday, as it was given to her on hers. So I'm passing it on to you.  
The engraving on the back has been worn away through the years, but it was part of an old Irish blessing:

_May the road rise to meet you.  
May the wind be ever at your back._

Happy 16th birthday, sweetheart.  
Love, Mom

Katie looked up to see her father watching her.

"Thanks, Daddy," she said with a smile as she took the pendant out of the box and hooked the clasp at the back of her neck.

"You're not upset, are you?" he asked quietly. "You do have that whole 'no presents for your birthday' rule."

She shook her head. "Of course not. I love it. I'm... a little confused though. Did Mom actually write the note?"

"Yes."

"When? It's like she... knew she wasn't going to be around on my 16th birthday or something."

Her father chuckled. "No, it was nothing like that. It's just a tradition that goes with the necklace. I'm not sure who it first belonged to, but your grandmother wasn't the first recipient. I don't think she even knew. Anyway, it was tradition that a note, whatever was going to be said, was written the day the daughter was born."

"Guess that explains the full name." Katie was quiet for awhile, rereading the note. Then she looked back up at her father. "Was Mom wearing the necklace the day that –"

He shook his head. "No. She hadn't been wearing it for months before that. I asked her about it when Jason and I got back from the war. Apparently, you had been playing with it a lot and she was afraid the chain would break. So she'd put it away until you were older."

Katie laughed. "Oh. Well, I have always liked shiny things." She got up and walked to the other side of the breakfast bar to give her father a kiss on the cheek as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thanks, Daddy," she said again. "I think this may be the best birthday ever. That I can remember, anyway."

* * *

"I was beginning to wonder if you were gonna show up," Jeff said when Katie wandered over to the tree in the park by his apartment.

She grinned. "Sorry. I was talking to Ryan when you sent me that message and then... Daddy gave me a birthday present."

"Hey!" he protested. "I thought that wasn't allowed."

She laughed. "First of all, he's my dad, he can do whatever he wants –"

"That was _not_ the impression I got at Christmas, Kit-Kat," Jeff teased.

She ignored him. "Second of all, the present wasn't technically from him. It was from my mom."

He gave her a look that she thought probably resembled the one she'd given her father earlier.

She smirked. "Yup, that's what I said." She showed him the necklace. "It's a family tradition on my mom's side."

"Awesome. So, first stop the usual?"

"Of course," Katie said. "After that though, today's a new day."

"In the way that _every _day is a new day, Katie?" Jeff asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Smartass. No, I mean the Bastard Who Shall Remain Nameless Forevermore isn't going to have any influence on my life anymore. Other than the ways that... yeah."

Jeff looped his arm through hers as they walked toward the chapel. "I know what you meant."


End file.
